


Safe

by orphan_account



Series: Little Moments [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Adulthood, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Older Characters, Shounen-ai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-02 23:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13328982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The author is too tired for summaries. Apologies for the inconvenience.





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, I did a thing. I'm a bit rusty as a writer after a period of doing pretty much everything else, and I'm unaccustomed to working with canon characters, but I'm doing my best to give this ship the quality content it deserves. ("Quality" is debatable, but it's content and I plan on improving.)
> 
> They're significantly older in this than they are in canon (I'd say Ash is 22 and Drew is 21), so be aware of that.
> 
> Thanks for reading this slightly ramble-y author's note, and here goes nothing.

Ash regarded his boyfriend fondly. Green hair artfully tousled (and even softer than it looked,) emerald-colored eyes, and a smile softer and more genuine than Ash would have thought the young man capable of ten years ago--Drew had gone from some arrogant jerk to the best boyfriend Ash could ever ask for. So much had changed since they were kids in Hoenn who could barely be called friends.

Now here they were, side by side, Drew leaning into Ash (probably for warmth just as much as any other reason) as they watched the sky. It was a beautiful night, but Ash's main focus was on Drew. His slim frame, as delicate as the roses he was so fond of, was ill adapted to the cold; even now, Ash could feel him shivering slightly. He probably would never have moved to Kanto if it weren't for Ash.

Ash put an arm around his boyfriend, hoping to shield him from the frigid air. "Thanks for this."

"It's me who should be thanking you," Drew responded, his voice soft and tinged with surprising humility. "I don't know where I'd be now if it weren't for your determination to be my friend when we were younger."

"Probably somewhere warmer," Ash said.

He was rewarded with his boyfriend stifling a laugh. "True."

It was so cute when he did that. The way he smiled and bit his lip, the way his eyes got just a tiny bit brighter, and that little _sound_ were all too soft and pure for anyone's heart to take. Overcome by affection, Ash turned and hugged him.

Drew tensed briefly, then relaxed and returned the embrace. He had gotten more comfortable with being touched (by Ash at least) as their relationship went on, and had told Ash multiple times that he really didn't mind being kissed and held by his boyfriend, but it always seemed to take him a second to truly enjoy it. Old habits died hard.

Ash sometimes wondered if there was a reason behind it. Drew was a bit of a clean freak, but he wasn't a full-on germophobe, so that couldn't be it.

Had someone hurt him? Even if they had been dating for years, this was Drew, one of the most reserved people Ash had ever met. He might not mention something like that. Stubborn refusal to be vulnerable for more than five seconds was kind of his thing.

The thought of someone hurting Drew badly enough to make enjoying physical affection a challenge was itself painful. Ash felt a surge of protectiveness, followed by Drew awkwardly pulling away. He took a shaky breath. "You know I love you, Ash, but let a guy _breathe._ "

"Sorry," Ash said. He must've tightened his hold without realizing it. "I forget how delicate you are sometimes."

Drew made an indignant sound. "Just like you forget your own strength sometimes," he retorted.

"I love you too," Ash said, playfully ruffling his boyfriend's hair. He felt a pang of guilt as Drew folded his arms, seemingly to more covertly rub a sore spot on his side. "I really didn't mean to hurt you--or suffocate you. I just..." Ash's proud, independent boyfriend wouldn't like this. "I just want to protect you."

Drew looked at him. "From what?" There was no condescension in his voice, or anything negative at all--only curiosity. His head was tilted ever so slightly, his expression quizzical.

"Anything that could harm you." Was that cliché? Probably. Was it true? Absolutely. Everyone Ash loved had been put in danger at least once--often for reasons closely relating to him. He was never afraid for himself, but he secretly feared for the safety of his friends, his family, and his boyfriend.

Ash would never forget hearing that May and Drew had fallen off a cliff and were headed for a waterfall. May was like a little sister to him, and even though he hadn't been close to Drew at the time, he had wanted to consider them friends. Fortunately, they had both come out unscathed, but the thought of what could've been still haunted him.

It didn't help that Drew himself had admitted to being a little more uneasy around rivers since.

"I see." Drew's voice was neutral. He put a hand on Ash's shoulder, a surprising gesture from someone who seldom initiated physical contact. "You don't have to worry about me, Ash. We're safe here. The only threats to my well-being are cold weather and crushing hugs from my boyfriend."

 He had a point. Since they had been living together, nothing big and dangerous had happened. "You're probably right," Ash conceded.

 A playful smirk flickered across Drew's face. "Aren't I always?"

 Some things never changed.

 Ash ruffled his boyfriend's temptingly soft hair. "It's freezing out here. You want to get inside before it gets colder?"

"Sure," Drew said, making a halfhearted attempt at fixing his hair before he seemingly decided it didn't matter. He looked perfect anyway and he definitely knew it.

As they headed for home, Drew silently took Ash's hand. The Hoenn native's hands were always freezing, but warmth spread through Ash's entire body regardless. The small gestures of affection Drew favored were high on the list of things Ash lived for. Drew was his, he was Drew's, and as long as they had each other, they were home and they were safe.


End file.
